


Take Care

by V0S



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Implied Relationships, M/M, Multi, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Reader is male, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28539804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V0S/pseuds/V0S
Summary: For the past few years, there had been rumors of a mysterious figure who'd look out for wandering travelers, tales of people getting ambushed by monsters and guardians, only to wake the next morning at the nearest Inn or Stable and any wounds bandaged and taken care of. From near every nook and cranny, the tales spread of a benevolent and gentle creature, and yet, none have seen their face.
Relationships: Link (Legend of Zelda) & Reader, Link (Legend of Zelda)/Original Male Character(s), Link (Legend of Zelda)/You, Link/Reader
Kudos: 55





	Take Care

The rain beat heavily on Link's body, only serving to make the pain his body felt worsen as he attempted to will the power to get up. He'd fallen from climbing after getting caught in the rain. The already hard to grab on to rocks becoming slippery, and his already tired body finally losing the little stamina he had left. It had only been a month since he'd woken up from his long slumber, and it seemed that he'd already be returning without even stepping foot into Hyrule Castle or even defeating a single Devine Beast.

He felt groggy from sleepless nights, hunting for shrines to get stronger and helping others in every way he could. It was the least he thought he could do for leaving them to suffer all these years. He needed to stop Ganon; every fiber of his being told him he had to, and the suffering he'd seen of others told him he _needed_ to. Yet, here he was, eyes blurry and head pounding, slowly losing all consciousness and once again failing the people of Hyrule. He felt the cold bite at him, like being trapped under the ice's surface with no way out. He couldn't die, not here, not yet; the people of Hyrule depended on him. They didn't deserve to suffer for another hundred years. But by the goddesses, he felt so tired, even breathing was taking great efforts.

He was so cold, so tired, sleep seemed so welcoming. He couldn't even hear the rain anymore; The blurriness and burning sensation in his eyes were the only things that reminded him of the pouring rain. He saw the dark sky light up in a flash through blurry eyes and felt the rumble underneath him.

Lightning, just his luck. 

Finally, he felt the last bit of strength leave him and allowed himself to relax. The people of Hyrule could wait just a few minutes, right? He'd only rest for a minute, then he'd get right back up. Yeah, just a minute. He'll get up and find another way of getting to that shrine at that mountain right after resting. Then he'd head to Kakariko Village to the statue of the goddess and use the shadow orbs to make himself more resilient. He'll need to head back to the Zora Domain to help Prince Sidon with Vah Ruta. All that. In just a minute. 

The icy cold rain made his body numb to the point he couldn't even feel his aching muscles; he actually felt pretty nice at that moment. It was like drowning in honey. 

He let his racing mind ease, let his tired eyes close, his stuttering breath slow, and let his cold, frigid body relax. The ground was cold and hard, but he wouldn't be resting long, so it would do for now. He'll be up in a minute; Hyrule won't have to wait long. Just a few minutes.

Link woke up feeling warm, the surface underneath him soft. His body felt relaxed; he nearly went back to sleep before remembering where he'd been initially and sitting up like he'd been struck by lightning. Immediately he felt the pain in his stomach and moved his hands to wrap around it, his hands meeting bandages. He let out a wince at the pain, eyes shutting tightly. Then hearing the quick steps approach, he quickly snapped them open and turned his head to the sound source.

"Master Link!" Paya? Here? Where was he? "I'm so glad you are alright. We were so worried when we saw you unconscious on that horse!" He was on a horse? "But after we got you and your stuff off, it ran off!" He didn't have a horse; why was he on a horse? How did he even get on the horse? Did he wake back up and tame a horse? Why did he tame a horse? How did he tame it? He doesn't remember a horse?

The confusion on his must have been very apparent because Paya's face went from relief to worry and finally to panic. " I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be rambling so much; you just woke up!" She brought both her hands up and covered her face, though the redness of her ears was still very visible. Link took the time to look around the room he was in; it was the Inn in Karkariko, which explains why Paya is here, but he still wasn't sure how he got here. Did he tame a horse and not remember? If so, why did it run off after dropping him off? He was interrupted from his thoughts by the grumbling of his own stomach, now it was his turn to be embarrassed. Paya peeked through her hands and spotted Link's embarrassed face looking like his stomach had just exposed to everyone his deepest secret. She brought her hands down and instead covered her mouth, eyes full of worry. 

"That's right, you've been asleep for a whole day and a half, you hadn't woken up at all, so you haven't eaten anything in that time."   
He didn't have the heart to tell her he hadn't eaten anything proper for much longer than that and risk giving her a heart attack. He stayed quiet as she rambled about how worried everyone was. " It is strange that you were already bandaged when you got here and that your horse ran off after it brought you here." Wait, he was _already_ bandaged when he got here? Now Link was even more confused. He looked down at his bandages and noticed that they didn't look like standard bandages. They had a slight blue tint. Now that he thought about it when he sat up earlier and after the pain had subsided, he recalls a cooling sensation where the wound was. They actually felt really nice right now. But who bandaged him if it was already there when he arrived? He knew for sure it wasn't himself; he hadn't brought any with him in the first place. 

"It's not strange at all!"

Both Paya and Link jumped at the new voice and turned their heads to the door at a near breakneck speed. A sheikah girl stood at the now open doorway, dressed in typically sheikah wear and long braided hair reaching all the way down to her mid-thigh; that was all Link managed to observe before his eyes immediately zeroed in on the tray of food in her hands. Vegetable soup and honey bread with a cup of tea, he felt like he would cry tears of joy; it smelt so good he felt like he'd been blessed. The sheik girls must have noticed his intense stare, but he was too hungry to be embarrassed about it. The newly entered sheikah girl giggled, " I won't keep you waiting longer, dig in, hero!" She placed the tray down on his lap, and he wasted not a second before digging in. The girls giggled at his eagerness before engaging in their own conversation. Misha sat on another bed, and Paya remained seated at the end of Links'.   
Paya and the other girl, Misha, talked about how Misha had only recently arrived back to Karkariko to help her older brother run the Inn. Paya and Misha had apparently been great friends before Misha had left to learn more about medicine and food. Link had only been half paying attention until Paya asked, " so what did you mean it wasn't strange when you walked in?" That was a question Link also wondered and decided he should probably also eat slower before he chokes.   
Misha smiled at Paya, " I'd recognize that horse anywhere, giant horses are very rare after all, and there's only one person I know who owns one." She looked off to the side with a dreamy expression.

"Really? Who?" Paya tilted her head to the side in confusion, wrecking her brain to think of anyone she could think of that could tame such a huge horse. She'd initially believed it was Link, but Misha's wording and that dreamy, distant look at nothing told her otherwise. Misha looked back in surprise, "you don't know?!" 

Now Link was even more confused; he was on a giant horse? He'd never even seen one of those, and if he did, he definitely doesn't remember. Misha looked at Link and noticed his lost expression. She sighed and smiled sheepishly. "I suppose I should start at the beginning."  
"For years, there has been a travelers tale about a supposed "guardian angel" who watches over anyone who finds themselves in trouble on their journey. People who would fall unconscious from an ambush form Yoga, guardians, every kind of beast and every time they'd wake up at the nearest village or Stable with their wounds bandaged and their items safe and nearly untouched." She appeared to get lost in her retelling of the tale, eyes filled with stars and cheeks red with admiration. 

"I've heard the rumors about them in passing, but how are you so sure it was them?" Paya asked. Misha looked away, embarrassed and nervous, "ah-ha, well, you see- on my way back to Karkariko Village, I may have, maybe, taken a wrong turn and ended up... Running into a... Guardian..." Misha leaned back with her eyes closed tightly, bracing for what was to come. " A GUARDIAN?!" And there it was. "Misha! You said you had no trouble on your way back!" 

" And I didn't, really. I mean, I was saved!"   
That dreamy look returned with a sigh, "oh, Paya, you should have seen them," she stood up quickly from her seat on the bed, fists raised and clenched in a faux fighting stance. "There I was, a lost maiden hoping to take a short cut to return to my dear Sheik people!" She spoke dramatically, emphasizing her words by clutching one hand to her chest and placing the back of her other hand on her forehead with her eyes closed. " Next thing I know! Bzzzzzzt! I feel a point of heat aimed straight at me; I look through the trees and see the guardian look straight at me! Blue slowly turning red!" Link had long finished his food, his attention now on the Sheik before him as she rather impressively retold the events. He wondered how long she'd been waiting to talk about it. " I felt the fear freeze me in place, unable to look away, and yet overwhelmed with the urge to run as fast I could!" She stilled her body and went completely rigid, yet she kept that starry look in her eyes. "I could only stare a the charging white beam, it was so bright, and I knew it was too late run. BUT THEN a figure runs in front of me, their tall, dark figure blocking out the light of the beam and snapping me out of my daze!" She widened her stance, lifting one hand up as if guarding with a shield, her smile wide and confident. "It happened so quick, I waited for the beam to hit me, my eyes closed and my hands in front of me trying to shield myself in any way I could," she mimicked a scared and nervous stance before spring back to a guarding pose, she brought the hand that assumably had an imaginary shield and swiped it forward, mimicking a perfect parry. "I felt the wind from the blast as they hit the beam right back at that mechanical abomination! I barely had time to process it as the machine was trying to recalibrate itself to aim again before I was effortlessly thrown on to the back of a giant horse! When I looked back, I saw them charging straight at the guardian before I was too far to see what happened next." She finished dramatically, flopping onto the other bed and panting heavily. 

She certainly had a talent for storytelling, that's for sure; both Paya and Link were hung on every word the whole time. " And then what?" Paya asked, looking intrigued and in awe. Misha sat back up and smiled apologetically, " not much; I was stuck on the horse for awhile since I couldn't just jump off while it was moving. Eventually, it stopped near the road to Karkariko and let me down, and then it just ran off." She sighed, " I was originally worried that my savior hadn't made it," she turned to look at Link with a smile, "but seeing you come in with that horse, now I know they're just fine."  
"Well, I'm glad you were saved; I'm still upset that you hadn't told anyone what happened." Paya scolded. "Hey, I already knew it was a dumb idea to wander off the trail so late at night. I didn't need other people reminding me!" Misha huffed. The Link was confused, less than before, but still. There weren't a lot of people who could step to a guardian and survive, even less who'd do it for a stranger. They even went through the effort of bandaging his wounds before sending him back. "Oh, by the way, I washed that cloak you had on when you were brought in," Misha turned to the side and picked up a folded up cloak before leaving it on Link's bed. "We should probably let you rest, come on Paya. " Misha motioned for Paya to follow. Paya's eyes rose in realization before looking back at Link, "Oh my! I'm sorry we've kept you awake, Master Link!" She bowed her head low, "we'll let you get your rest! Goodnight'" she sputtered before leaving with Misha. 

Link looked out the window; it really was late in the night. How long had he been out? Wait, didn't Paya said he'd slept the whole day?   
That's too long!

Link scrambled to get out of bed, his muscles screaming at him and his exhaustion threatening his legs to give out; the cloak fell to the floor. Link hurriedly searched for his things, spotting them at the corner of the room. He moved to get to them, nearly tripping over the dark cloak. He properly balanced himself and look to his feet where the cloak was now slightly wrinkled. Misha mentioned he was wearing it when he got here; he lifted the cloak up, unraveling it in the process. It was huge! The bottom portion pooled onto the floor as he examined it. The fabric was soft on the inside but sleek outside (most likely to keep from getting wet and cold). It was a dark color; shining it in the light revealed the outer portion had a gradient from blue at the top to purple at the bottom, the inside was a soft pastel yellow.

In short, it looked cozy. 

Link lifted it above his head to see more of the details on the outer portion. The hood portion had a starry pattern, the clasp was unique; one side possessed a crescent moon shape while the other was shaped like the sun. He lifts it higher to look at the bottom, something falling out of the cloak in the process right near his feet, a crumbled piece of paper. He folded the cloak quickly and scooped of the paper. Placing the cloak back on to the bed, he smoothed out the paper. 

A note?

Written neatly in black ink, though slightly faded, it read:

"Take better care of yourself, hero."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Criticism is always welcomed!


End file.
